Billy Greene and other volunteers were busy in the kitchen last week roasting beef brisket.By Anne Ruisi
The delicious aroma of tomatoes, onion, garlic and Mediterranean spices wafts in the air just outside the kosher kitchen at the Levite Jewish Community Center on a recent weekday morning.
Inside, it’s a busy scene as half a dozen volunteers chop small mountains of raw onions and garlic cloves for the beef brisket being prepared for the center’s Jewish Food and Culture Fest on April 30.
About 2,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., said Katie Hausman, who is in charge of cooking for the fest. Tables will be set up for diners to eat their meal.
“We want everyone to stay and enjoy the day,” Hausman said, noting that admission is free, with food and beverages for sale.
Volunteers are central to the weeks of preparation needed to organize the event and cook the wide variety of Jewish delicacies that will be served. It takes four to six weeks to prepare the foods that will be served, Hausman said, noting that the group does not cook every day.
Last week, volunteers made 500 cabbage rolls and 25 pans of kugel, Hausman said. Kugel is a beloved traditional baked casserole usually made from egg noodles or potato and it can be sweet or savory.
Also on the menu are matzo ball soup, whitefish salad, bagels, falafels and corned beef sandwiches.
“It can be quite a challenge to get it all out,” said David Gonnerman, the LJCC’s communications manager.
Brisket is one of the most popular traditional main dishes served on Jewish holidays, such as Passover, and on Shabbat, the day of rest.
This day in the LJCC’s kitchen, not only are volunteers chopping onions and garlic, they’re opening giant cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce and prepping other ingredients. Once mixed together, the mixture is poured over briskets that are slow roasted at a low oven temperature for four hours.
Hausman said it takes three days to roast the 462 pounds – that’s nearly a quarter ton – of beef brisket that will be served at the fest.
All About the Brisket
The recipe to make the brisket comes from Sherron Goldstein, who is affectionately known as “The Brisket Queen,” Hausman said.
“It’s a crowd pleaser,” said Goldstein, who noted the recipe is one she developed and is in the cookbook she wrote, “Fresh Fields: A Celebration of Good Food.”
Brisket is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef, but it’s tough and needs tenderizing. Her recipe is kosher but a bit different from the way many Jewish cooks prepare it.
“This one roasts in a wonderful tomato sauce,” she said. “It starts with a Jewish influence and ends with a Southern glow.”
Goldstein said that on the day of the fest, she’ll be out there serving brisket. “I’m always standing there with the brisket meat,” she said.
Josh Haynes, owner and chef at Alloy Thai in Birmingham, will be running the kitchen on the day of the fest. All the food that has been cooked and stored will be refreshed for serving, Hausman said.
The event is not only a celebration of Jewish food and culture, it’s a celebration of Israel’s 75th anniversary, Gonnerman noted. There will be a demonstration of Israeli dancing and krav maga, an Israeli martial art.
There also will be another Israeli-inspired feature, a small shuk, or open-air market, where goods such as dried fruit and spices will be available.
Israeli music will be played during the day and there will be children’s activities, Gonnerman said.
“We want to be a bridge between the Jewish community and the (wider) community,” Gonnerman said. “The fest is our gift to the community.”
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